Serratitibia uncinata (Mulsant) Gordon & Canepari & Hanley, 2013

Gordon, Robert D., Canepari, Claudio & Hanley, Guy A., 2013, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XII: New name for Cyra Mulsant, review of Brachiacanthini genera, and systematic revision of Cleothera Mulsant, Hinda Mulsant and Serratitibia Gordon and Canepari, new genus, Insecta Mundi 2013 (278), pp. 1-150 : 44-45

20. Serratitibia uncinata (Mulsant) , new combination

Cleothera uncinata Mulsant, 1853: 78 .

Hyperaspis uncinata: Crotch 1874: 219 ; Korschefsky 1931: 198; Blackwelder 1945: 448; Gordon 1987: 27. Hinda uncinata: Milléo et al. 1997: 392 .

Description. Male. Length 2.8 mm, width 2.2 mm; body oval, convex. Dorsal surface shiny, lacking alutaceous sculpture. Color yellow; pronotum with narrow, basomedial macula deeply, broadly emarginate medially. and 2 small, triangular dark brown spots anterior to middle; elytron with 5 dark brown maculae, suture narrowly brown, scutellar spot large, elongate, rectangular, humeral spot long, widened medially, posterolateral spot narrow, rectangular, spot on apical declivity narrowly connected to reverse, comma shaped spot on apical declivity ( Fig. 161 ); venter of head yellowish red, prosternum, meso–, metaventrites dark brown; abdomen yellow except median 1/3 of ventrites 1–2 dark brown. Head punctures small, separated by less than diameter, each puncture as large as 2 eye facets; pronotal punctures equal in size to head punctures, separated by less than 2 times diameter; elytral punctures larger than on pronotum, separated by 1–3 times diameter; metaventral punctures larger than on elytra, separated by less than 2 times diameter medially, larger laterally. Clypeus weakly emarginate apically, lateral angle abruptly rounded. Eye canthus about 6 eye facets long, slightly angled forward, apically rounded, yellow. Pronotum narrowed from base to apex, basal angle broadly rounded, anterior angle abruptly rounded, lateral margin rounded, basal margin without trace of bordering line. Epipleuron wide, weakly grooved, slightly descending externally, deeply emarginate for reception of femoral apices. Protibial flange slightly narrower than remainder of protibia, outer margin arcuate, with about 8 small teeth from base to apex ( Fig. 162 ), sponda extended beyond protibial border. Carinae on prosternal process widely separated at apex, convergent, joined at basal 1/6 of prosternum, connected to base by short stem. Metaventrite without setal tuft. Basal abdominal ventrite with median setal tuft ( Fig. 167 ). Abdomen with primary pores laterally between ventrites 4–5 small, extended under apical 1/4 of ventrite 4; postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite angled to posterior ventrite margin, flattened along margin, apex extended forward. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 with short, sparse pubescence, punctures on basal 3 ventrites large, separated by diameter or less, becoming smaller and dense laterally, ventrites 3–5 densely punctured throughout; 5th ventrite depressed medially in apical 1/2, apical border weakly emarginate medially, lateral angle of emargination with small tubercle bearing tuft of dense setae; 6th ventrite narrow, deeply depressed medially, depression glabrous, without median tubercle, apical margin shallowly emarginate, angle on each side of emargination bearing tuft of setae. Apical tergite short, narrow, apex weakly emarginate, surface densely, finely punctured. Genitalia with basal lobe 3/4 as long as paramere, sides convergent, apex obliquely rounded; paramere Unm type, narrow, widened apically, apex rounded ( Fig. 163, 164 ); sipho robust, curved in basal 2/3, basal capsule with inner arm short, curved, apex rounded, outer arm slightly longer than inner arm, widened apically, with accessory piece, basal border broadly, weakly emarginate ( Fig. 165, 166 ).

Female. Similar to male except head with anterior 1/2 of frons dark brown, clypeus yellow, pronotum with large, dark brown, basomedial macula nearly reaching anterior pronotal margin. Genitalia with spermathecal capsule long, slender, not widened apically, curved at basal 1/3, bursal cap broadly triangular, with 3 arms, inner arm faint, apical strut short, widened from base to spatulate apex.

Variation. Length 2.2–3.3 mm, width 1.8–2.5 mm. Spot color varies from brown to black, female pronotum may have the basomedial macula entire, or with apex slightly indented and small, yellow spot in middle of macula. Elytral spots vary somewhat in size, but most variation involves the 2 inner apical spots, these spots are often joined to form a single discrete spot, or completely separated into 2 spots, all intergrades between these two character states are present.

Type locality. “Ste-Catherine,” Brazil.

Type depository. UMZC (lectotype designated by Gordon 1987).

Geographical distribution. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay.

Specimens examined. 47. Argentina. Misiones, El Dorado, San Antonio. Brazil. Nova Teutonia; Rio de Janeiro; Rio Natal, S. Catherine; Rio Vermelho; Serra Caraca, Minas Gerais; Paraguay. Hohenau, Alto-Parana. ( BMNH) ( CAS) ( DZUP) ( JEBC) ( MZSP) ( USNM) ( ZMHB).

Remarks. This is a frequently collected, easily recognized species known from southern Brazil to Paraguay.

Figures

Figures 155–173. 155–160) Serratitibia gaillardi. 155) Habitus. 156) Protibia. 157) Phallobase ventral. 158) Phallobase lateral. 159) Enlarged siphonal apex. 160) Sipho. 161–167) Serratitibia uncinata. 161) Habitus. 162) Protibia. 163) Phallobase ventral. 164) Phallobase lateral. 165) Enlarged siphonal apex. 166) Sipho. 167) Male abdomen. 168–173) Serratitibia virginia. 168) habitus. 169) Protibia. 170) Phallobase ventral. 171) Phallobase lateral. 172) Enlarged siphonal apex. 173) Sipho.